Hachiman Gorou
Appearance Gorou, being a kitsune of three tails, is able to take several forms depending on what a situation may entail. Whenever he takes a human form, Gorou typically choose to take a specific form, one he had particularly trained on his own. In this desired form, he stands somewhat average in height with others his “age”, being around 5’6. He’s well built, his lifestyle of combat training and belief in strength keeping him fit. He looks somewhat handsome, but appears a bit brutish as well, especially with his dark brown eyes. His hair is red and short, which he tries to keep slicked but it just seems to stick up more. His fox ears are white with forward curved yellow tips, and pop up when he chooses to display his tail. The only other noticeable hair Gorou has is the small amount he has on his chest and the rather long amount from beneath his lip, which is at least four inches long. On his back he has magically imposed tattoos depicting a symmetrical display of three fox tails, accented by fire, which span his entire back. He does this as a symbolic form of his race. When he chooses to display his tails, he will have the physical tails appear from the ones on his back. In tattoo form, the tails appear yellow at the bottom and changes gradually from yellow to orange at the top of the tail. When he displays them physically the tails are white and change to yellow at the top in the same way the tattoos do. For his attire, Gorou will wear the Osaka Gakuin uniform when he has to, sporting the red jacket nicely. However he has chooses to not wear the white undershirt and substitutes the modified gi from his traditional Natsu clan garb. He also has a clip attached at the back of the pants he wears, the one thing special about it being the place on the very back where he can attach Senka. The place specifically attaches to the middle handle on the chain and Gorou takes the two hanging sides and hangs them over his shoulders, letting the ends of the chains dangle in front of his coat. When he isn’t forced to wear the uniform, Gorou wears his traditional Natsu garb. The garb is honey colored with white accents depicting his family's crest on one of his pant sleeves, the other depicting a traditional fox spirit. He wears the intricate green wool rope around his waist, intertwined in the belt loops and the ends tied in a knot to the left side of his pants. As per his kitsune species, Gorou is able to take other forms such as another human appearance or an animal form. For Gorou, he chose the animal form despite its limiting him to one animal. Due to the limitation, Gorou decided on making his animal form several times larger than normal, so it would be more useful in combat and in movement. For the animal form he decided on a snake, specifically a Japanese Rat Snake. When he is in snake form, he is 17 feet long and has a girth of half a foot in size. Appearance wise, his whole body is white in color except for the 3 foot of his tail which gradually changes to yellow at the end. His eyes are yellow as well, this color being the only different from his own normal appearance. Personality Gorou could be described as someone with layers. From a first glance at the kitsune, he seems brutish, like all brawn and no brains, a loner, and someone who’s all action and no rest. In honesty, this is his primary view of things. If there’s a way to solve something with violence or a show of strength he’ll use that first and foremost. However as you peel back the layers and spend more time with him, Gorou begins to show more than a brutish nature. Something that immediately seen is that the kitsune doesn’t just seem to care for himself, and that he can act somewhat brotherly. Maybe more so rude older brother, but a brother none the less. Peel back another layer and you see a calmer side to Gorou, someone who enjoys sitting around and doing small things like weapon cleaning or enjoying the quiet. He also tends to show a bit smart side to him that you don’t see very often. While Gorou make look all brawn and no brains, Gorou is somewhat smart, having a bit of knowledge in areas like history, math, and language. While he may not be as well versed in other subjects, his brain does shine a little when he’s asked about a subject he knows. If you ever have to battle Gorou, or he’s interested in fighting you, his brutish side to him is blatantly showing, but he does show a bit of those smarts he has. When in battle, Gorou is always serious because of his clan’s beliefs and will not hold back unless he very much so feels the need to (it’s that brotherly side, and it mostly shows up to those younger than him who are still learning). He always shows honor in battle, despite many other clan member’s distaste in his use of fire magic, and will never disobey the rules set for him in a formal battle. Powers and Abilities Weapon Skills: Gorou is well versed in several forms of armed combat, as taught by his masters and his clan’s belief that strength is a Natsu’s greatest attribute. Over the 250 years he trained with others and fought to establish a place in his family, Gorou has been taught dozens of fighting styles and how to fight with dozens upon dozens of weapons per his request. The personal endeavor was something he long worked at, pouring thousands of days of work into expanding his knowledge and expertise. At his current age of 300, Gorou knows how to use and fight expertly with any single handed weapon that has been seen in Japan’s history, any dual handed weapon seen in Japan’s history, any long weapons seen in Japan’s history, and quite a few weapons from outside his country in the three styles mentioned above. Aside from those he’s lended his training to finding styles for weapons he’s created on his own, such as hybrids of others and unique weapons. He also has some skills in short distance fighting such as throwing knives, shurikens, etc, but has always preferred close quarters combat. Fire Affinity: Gorou’s species as a kitsune gives him great dominion of the element of fire. While his clan may focus on strength as it’s strongest skill, Gorou found a way to use his fire affinity in a strength way by harnessing its power to create full fledged weapons made of pure fire. After dozens of years of training, he was able to replicate multiple weapons and even create ones of his own. Further practice strengthened this and it became a primary way of combat for him, for both distance (throwing knives, shurikens) and close quarters (swords, daggers, staffs, long armed weapons like halberds, spears, scythes, etc). In his endeavors he even created monstrosities, like combinations of weapons or ones with a unique shape. The weapons have strength to them, but dissipate when Gorou becomes weakened or fatigued. Senka: A six foot chain steel chain with additions. Each end has a small rustic lantern, the lantern having no glass windows but ornate metal ornamentations. The middle of the chain has a old looking mechanism, but the technology is rather new. Being about five inches in length, the mechanism uses small powerful magnets, which are activated or deactivated by twisting switch, to magnetically pull all the chains together and turn the six foot long chain into a strong quarterstaff. The versatility of his weapon not only comes with it’s multiple forms and Gorou’s skills with those weapons, but they also from the special lanterns on the ends. These small lanterns act as catalyst for Gorou, using the openings of the windows, small opening at the end of the lantern, and a wick inside to channel his fire affinity. With these catalyst, it is even easier for him to create full fire weapons from the lanterns in any shape or length he chooses. Because of this understanding of weapons and styles, Gorou has created several combinations with his fire weapons and Senka. In chain mode, he can grab below the lanterns and channel his fire through them, creating one handed weapons both singularly and in pairs (two lanterns). In the same aspect, he could use smaller flame weapons as additions for using the chain form, fighting by using the chain itself and flame weapons as extensions (like ball and chain). When Senka is in staff form, the flame weapons with the quarterstaff can create long weapons such as halberds, spears and scythes. When the flame extensions are from both ends, it can become a deadly mix of two long ranged weapons like dual end spears and scythes. As a somewhat simpler idea and one Gorou uses often, he will simply set the ends ablaze with wild fire and use the quarterstaff alone, making hits with each end powerful hits physically and magically. Illusions: Being a Kitsune, Gorou has the innate magical ability to use illusion magic. Being a three tail means he has able to create more physical illusions as well as stronger sensory illusions, however being in the Natsu clan, he is less experienced and trained in doing so. At his current level he can create powerful sensory illusions but his physical illusions are weak and are easily seen through. Animal Form: While Gorou is in his snake form, he is more vulnerable to getting hit, but he does gain significant other advantages. The first is the snakes natural scale armor, which makes him more resistant to damage and some magical damage. The second of these is the snakes natural hunting style and abilities, which when combined with his larger size makes him a force to be reckoned with. The next is his speed, which while in his animal form tops at 23 kph. The last is the stealth it gives him, allowing to sneak around easier and in smaller places. Being a three tail kitsune, he is able to hold this snake form for up to 20 minutes before he has to revert back to his human form. Backstory Hachiman Gorou was the fifth kitsune child born to the current Hachiman family generation, and was named as such when he was born. The Hachiman’s are a long lived and respected family in the Natsu clan, their oldest family member being the first Hachiman who at the time of Gorou’s birth was 2533 years of age. Despite being a smaller family, the Hachiman’s still were Natsu Kitsune and held the core beliefs the clan held: Strength was a Kitsune’s most important attribute. Gorou grew up and lived with his family, living under their rules and playing alongside his four brothers. Even with several decades of age difference between them, the five Hachiman children had fun playing games and especially their favorite pastime of shuttlecock. Years went by, Gorou still somewhat naive, and eventually he began to train under his family elders. It was tradition that any Hachiman was trained in the art of martial arts and combat. Gorou and his older brother Shiro, who was only about 20 years older than him, trained together under their father, grandfather, and great grandfather. The training the two received was somewhat unique to their family, like a passing down of knowledge from parent to child. They began to learn how to fight with martial arts and how to call upon the fire affinity of their species. It wasn’t anything complex, a basic understanding that the Hachiman’s had laid out so that when they became older the next of kin would be well prepared for when their real training started. For Gorou it seemed like child’s play, impressing his elders. When Gorou reached 50, he showed great promise in terms of combat prowess, both he and his brother did. The two would spar with each other, their older brothers doing the same for them to help them grow stronger. It was around this time that Gorou began seeking ambitions of his own and sought the serious training of his family elders. His Uncle complied and took him on as his student. It started out slow, Gorou showing failure now in his training, which was to be expected due to the intensity and the difficulty. Through rigorous amounts of hard work and determination, the kitsune showed his mettle and succeeded in the training of his uncle. Within three years he had become extremely adept in it, but for Gorou he sought more. He then asked to be taught more from other Elders in his family. When Gorou had reached 100 years of age he had learned at least a dozen or more styles of fighting, and with the growth of his new tail came new amounts of strength and possibility. He had started training with elders of other Natsu clan families, learning the art of weapon fighting. It was also around this time that he was approached by his Great Great Grandfather and given an opportunity to hone the skills he had once learned to call upon. By now Gorou had learned why his family was looked at with disdain despite being well respected. It was something that the Hachiman’s had seen opportunity despite how the clan viewed it: their special training and consideration of fire magic. If strength was truly the best attribute, then there was no need for magic, but the Hachiman’s saw a flaw in this and was the reason for their family belief in using the fire in tandem with physical combat. Gorou saw this flaw as well, a faithful believer in both his clan’s and family’ belief, and gladly accepted the offer of the training. For several long years the Kitsune trained by his Great great grandfather’s teachings to use his fire for combat. For each person the training would result in different ways of using the affinity for the element, simply because of how the Natsu clan had been physically been affected by the belief. As the training went on Gorou was told to embrace how the fire released itself to him and harness it’s power. Within a year or two the kitsune had found the fire within him and embraced its release: in the form of weapons. He had shown prowess in wielding and learning weapon based combat, it only made sense for his fire to be wielded. From then on Gorou focused harder on his weapon training, the effects aiding his training in fire affinity for the next two to three years. Around the age of 125, Gorou entered a small tournament with his brother. It was being held by the Natsu clan as part of a summer festival, and Gorou thought this would be a fine way to test his skills. When the tournament began the white tailed kitsune was already getting looks, the saying of his family name causing many to look at him with a bad taste, but this wasn’t going to stop Gorou. He defeated his opponents one after another with his strength and weapon prowess alone, but when a devote Natsu kitsune stepped forward he had no hesitation in using his magic. He was outmatched in power, his opponent having one more tail than him. Gorou made up for it by using his fire affinity to wield a weapon that countered his opponents, and with his knowledge of the weapon succeeded in defeating his opponent. Gorou felt many things at the end of that fight, his body aching, his muscles tired, the eyes of many infuriated kitsune, but the one thing that overpowered this was a sense of pride for his talent and his family belief. In the end Gorou had lost in the next round, and even with his loss his pride never faltered. In the coming years he continued training, even with the disdain his masters from other families had for him. Near the age of 160, Gorou began to expand his knowledge of weapons and weapon styles as a way of personal training. He did research into books and scrolls the kitsune had gathered, asked the older members of the Natsu clan and his family, and learned what he could of weapons from Japan’s history. He eventually learned every about every single handed weapon in japanese history, and began to seek knowledge about other types of weapons, such as dual handed and long weapons. At 203, he set out on a journey to create his own weapon, something he had been thinking of for at least 20 or so years. He returned home several months later after visiting nearby villages and even the outskirts of large cities, a bag of materials as he went about creating himself a weapon with the help of the Natsu clan’s blacksmiths. After several months of extraneous smithing, crafting, and the help of his fellow kitsune, Gorou created a weapon of his own, something to match his style of fighting and range of skills. He eventually named it Senka, and would use it whenever he would fight in tournaments. Time continued on for Gorou, he continued to study combat, weapons, and eventually made a name for himself as a Hachiman, embracing both the pride and disdain his name and strengths brought him. He went on to win tournaments at festivals and even made friends with other kitsune outside his family. It was at the age of 300 that he came of age and grew his third tail, his strength and skills growing more. However his life changed when something other than Gorou’s combat skills were put to the test. Despite his admirable skill and prowess he lacked booksmarts, something that some of the elders in the Hachiman family knew everyone needed. Some were unsure of what to do, teaching him themselves would be fine, but none of them were teachers for things such as the literary arts and other subjects. Eventually an idea came to mind to send him to a school outside the village, where he could learn everything he needed. Fortunately, several elders already knew of a place, specifically because of a old agreement made with a school in Osaka. Within the year Gorou packed his belongings and with heartfelt goodbyes was sent to Osaka Gakuin 42, a place where he would learn the book smarts he would one day need and would fit in with his fellow kitsune. Trivia * Gorou is japanese for “Fifth Son”,with go meaning “five” and rou meaning “son” * Hachiman is the tutelary god of warriors in japanese myth, and the name means “God of Eight Banners” * Senka is japanese for war fire Category:Kitsune Category:Student Category:Male Category:Supernatural Category:Accepted Character Category:Character